1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hand held medical tools, and with more particularity, to a hand held medical tool to facilitate the introduction of a laryngeal mask airway into a patient.
2. Prior Art
Laryngeal mask airways, also called laryngeal masks, are presently used to establish an airway in a patient during general anesthesia. The laryngeal mask is inserted blindly into the pharynx, until it reaches and engages the upper esophageal sphincter, at which point a balloon portion of the mask is inflated, which forms a low pressure seal over the laryngeal inlet. Laryngeal masks are more efficient than standard face masks which may not form tight seals with the patient's face, permitting anaesthesia to escape therebetween. Laryngeal masks are thus becoming increasingly more popular. However, laryngeal masks are difficult to insert and properly position in the pharynx, because the masks are large, and the tip of the mask tends to bend upon itself when forced around the back of the throat inhibiting the proper placement of the mask.
Presently, physicians insert a laryngeal mask into a patient by using their fingers. In this manual insertion method, the laryngeal mask is forced into a patient's mouth behind the tongue, and then forced into the pharynx with the aid of the physician's index finger, which is pushed deeply into the patient's throat. This procedure has been known to result in damage to the soft tissues of the patient's throat. This procedure also poses a significant risk to the physician of contracting a contagious disease, such as HIV, since allergic reactions to latex prevent the physician from using latex gloves in all instances, and even if latex gloves are used, they can be easily punctured by teeth and braces. Further, the manual method becomes extremely difficult to perform when the patient is an infant, as the infant's mouth is simply too small to accommodate adult fingers.
Another device used to aid in the insertion of laryngeal masks is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,178 to Dingley. The patent shows a thin flexible plastic channel slide placed within the patient's throat, and the laryngeal mask is supposed to slide over the slide around the back of the throat. The drawback with this device is that it still makes insertion of the laryngeal mask very difficult, as the tip of the laryngeal mask still turns upon itself when it is inserted and has to bend around the back of the throat. The device is so thin it actually bends as the laryngeal mask slides over it, which is conducive to the tip of the laryngeal mask turning upon itself, thus preventing the mask from being advanced.
Another drawback of the slide device found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,178 is that it is a passive device, providing the physician with no effective way to actively control and guide the laryngeal mask.
Hence, there is a great need for a device and methodology for using same to enable a physician to safely and quickly introduce a laryngeal mask.
The present invention provides a novel solution to the problem of inserting laryngeal mask airways, having none of the drawbacks and disadvantages of the procedures and devices presently in use.